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Space Amoeba for spacedock

Space Amoeba for spacedock

While I was digging around I found some of my notes and decided that I would make them nice and pretty. Here is an entity from Star Trek the Original series that I thought then was pretty far off the mark but the more I think about it here is it what could stop it.

We never ran the adventure but I had generated the notes for it.

Amoeba Space Entity

Based on the Original series episode of "The Immunity Syndrome" and an episode of Voyager ďThe CloudĒ they are in the nebula that is a living organism and these notes work there as well. I intended to put an intrepid crew through the rigors of destroying the cell before it divided and thought that it would be a good adventure. Here are the notes that I generated up. Yet we have never gotten around to trying it out.

The amoeba belongs to the kingdom Protista. The name amoeba comes from the Greek word amoeba, which means change. The normal amoeba is a single celled microscopic organism (about 0.3 mm across) in the Science fiction universe it is much.. much larger in planet size. This Science Fiction Universe amoeba has cytoplasm, nucleus, cell membrane and a variety of inclusions in the cytoplasm and exhibits all the essential functions of any living organism. Normally they are found in fresh water (like puddle and ponds), salty water, wet soil and in animals this science fiction version for the Star Trek Universe is found in an area of space the size of a solar system that lacks light and energy.

This Amoeba is three Auís in diameter (450 million kilometers) although that shape is not a constant it can stretch and make itself several Auís in length but for game play this is the constant for the travel inside. The area of darkness that encompasses the amoeba is 87 AUís across and is mostly a spherical shape. The outer membrane is easily permeable and matter and energy can freely enter it, yet the matter cannot exit it and energy drain on a ship is increased 1% per hour of remaining in the amoeba.

Outer Cell membrane: The cell membrane is flexible and porous. It allows the amoeba to change shape. It also controls the entry and exit of substances into and out of the cytoplasm. (The membrane is a kilometer thick and has a resistance of 12 and 140 SU for blasting a starship size hole in it.)

Cytoplasm: Cytoplasm is the living substance which contains all the chemical reactions necessary for life. There are two types of cytoplasm in the amoeba, the darker cytoplasm toward the interior of the amoeba is called endoplasm, and the clearer cytoplasm that is found near the cell membrane is called ectoplasm. By pushing the endoplasm toward the cell membrane, the amoeba causes its body to extend and creep along. It is also by this method that the amoeba consumes its food. (Travel in the Cytoplasm is slowed to no faster than 1500 kilometers per seconds any faster and the engines start to overheat and receive one damage per round of faster speed. this is only 20% speed of thruster speed yet the cytoplasm circulates at 300 to 515 kilometers per seconds drifting in the current will eventually bring you to where you want to be. There are fluidic currents in the cell and a roll of a d6 tells whether the ship is carried with or drives against the current. Roll 1 with the current and speed is increased by 25%. Roll 2 with the current and speed is increased by 35%. Roll 3 the Cytoplasm is relatively inactive. Roll 4 the cytoplasm is moving against the ships forward movement reducing speed by 10%. Roll 5 the cytoplasm is moving against the ships forward movement reducing speed by 20%. Roll 6 the cytoplasm is moving against the ships forward movement reducing speed by 30 %.)

Nucleus: A large, disk-shaped nucleus found in the cell controls the growth and reproduction of the amoeba. Amoeba reproduce through binary fission where the nucleus copies its genetic material and the cytoplasm splits into two new daughter cells, each identical to the original parent. (The nucleusís membrane is a kilometer thick and has a resistance of 14 and 160 SU for blasting a starship size hole in it. The delicate DNA has little resistance 1 and SUís 10,000 and damage to the DNA past 500 SUís is irreparable.)

Digestive Vacuole: This is a cavity responsible for digestion in the amoeba. (The Amoeba consumes space matter and free energy as food and digests it. An amoeba digests matter at 11 SUís per round. A ship can last as long as its outer hull is still intact. The membrane of a Vacuole is the toughest to breach. 20 resistance and 400 SUís.)

Contractile Vacuole: The contractile vacuole removes excess water to the outside from time to time (osmoregulation) so that the amoeba does not burst. Because the concentration of solutes in the cytoplasm is greater than that in the surrounding fresh water, the water tends to enter the cytoplasm by osmosis via the partially permeable cell membrane. (The membrane of a Vacuole is the toughest to breach. 20 resistance and 400 SUís)

Food Vacuole: Microscopic organisms are taken into the cytoplasm with a drop of water forming a temporary vacuole. These organisms are then digested and then exits through a structure called a food vacuole. (The membrane of a Vacuole is the toughest to breach. 20 resistance and 400 SUís)

Digestive Vacuole: This is a cavity responsible for digestion in the amoeba. (The Amoeba consumes space matter and free energy as food and digests it. An amoeba digests matter at 11 SUís per round. A ship can last as long as its outer hull is still intact. The membrane of a Vacuole is the toughest to breach. 20 resistance and 400 SUís.)

Pseudopodium: Pseudopodium means Ďfalse footí. The amoeba move by stretching its cytoplasm into finger like extensions called pseudopodia. Doing this the amoeba surrounds the food and encompasses it and draws it into the cell for digestion.

Game note: The use of energy and photon type weapons offends cause the amoeba to react violently and discharge energy weapon like pulses against the source of its irritation. The exhaust of the ships impulse and warp engines often irritates the cell nevertheless a certain amount of irritation is acceptable. These energy pulses are capable of discharging three pulses causing 2d10 damage in a single pulse. Like a nebula the ships shields are none functional because of the Cytoplasm interferes with the formation.

I used the text but added in my own Spacedock details to generate the living organism for the adventure. How the ship and crew get there is up to the GM and players. If I was to generate it I would have the area of blackness detected and the ship goes to investigate.

From computer records

On Stardate 4307.1 Ö The Federation Constitution class Starship USS Enterprise NCC-1701, under the command of Captain James Tiberius Kirk encountered the space amoeba after it had destroyed the Federation Starship Intrepid and an entire star system. Captain Kirk made the command decision that was later agreed upon by most of the Federation Science Counsel that it was to be destroyed by and Anti-matter explosion at the nucleus of the cell. Planting the anti-matter charge at the center of the cell the Enterprise escaped the blast destroying the cell.

The use of the Antimatter pods or the ships self-destruct are advisable to the game as the use of fired weapons doubles, triples, quadruples, etc. with difficulties form point blank outward and evokes energy discharges against the ship.

Here are the notes that left off the above. They were written on a second sheet that was still folded in the TOS Core book. These work just as well for the TNG era as well.

On passing through the barrier, resisting the pull or anything that they do the ships is subjected to a life draining sound. Each member of the crew is drained just a little.

As per the core book rule, the Fitness and vitality are added together and for the game multiply by ten to get a double digit number. So using an Andorian from the TOS core book would have six health points and sixty multiplied together. Vulcan and Humans would have forty and you can do the rest of them for each of your characters.

Each sound burst will drain four points and there is no resistance to the sound burst. When the numbers reach single digit they character falls unconscious and when reaches zero the character is dead.